Butternut Squash Chowder with Pears and Ginger

This autumnal dish is especially appropriate and welcome as the first course on a cool fall evening. The subtle sweetness of the squash is enhanced by the flavors of the pears, orange, and ginger, making it a great addition also to the Thanksgiving Table.

Preparation

Place the pears in a bowl with the lemon juice, cover with water, and set aside.

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over high heat until lightly smoking. Add the onion, celery, and carrot, and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 minute longer, stirring constantly. Add the white wine and reduce the liquid until the pan is almost dry, about 3 minutes.

Drain half of the pears, reserving the other half in the lemon water for garnish. Add the drained pears to the pan with the squash, potato, and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, or until the squash is tender. Transfer half of the soup in batches to a blender and puree until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve back into the saucepan with the unpureed mixture. Add the orange juice, lemon juice, cream, salt, and the reserved pears and gently warm the chowder through (do not boil). The chowder can be made 1 day ahead.

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Reviews

I really liked this soup because of the delicate balance. However, instead of boiling the squash, I highly recommend roasting because it enhances the flavor. I used a butter flavor grape seed oil and sea salt. The squash turned out beautifully. It is more labor intensive if prepared this way but worth the effort. I served it for dinner when having neighbors over (they are huge foodies). It was a hit and they loved it.

I have made this delectable dish many times. Yes, it is labor intensive, and yes it is a bit tricky to come out with the right flavor. The amount of pear (ripe) and toying with the amount of OJ that goes in can control the sweetness. I find that if cooked down longer (do not follow prescribed times) a wonderful flavor is able to develop, if too thin, use more of the reserved vegetables in the puree, or add flour. Garnish with cinnamon or nutmeg. It is great!

This was good but a bit weird flavorwise... I don't know, I really like the idea, but the combination of flavors seemed off. I put in some brandy and some nutmeg, ground clove which seemed to improve it a bit. Definitely didn't love it, but try and tweak this and let us know! Potatoes not really working in this for me either. Adding booze seems like a good move(Calvados, Cognac, anyone?)

i made this soup for some friends. i really enjoyed it. i didn't change any of the ingredients. i did use homemade veggie stock. i pureed the entire soup and pushed it through a sieve, but decided to put the "solids" back into the soup. i enjoyed the subtle flavors of the pear, orange, and ginger. i don't think the soup needs anything added, it is very tasty as written. it just some salt and white pepper to season it.

At home sick with bronchitis. Mom tried to make me pick up a can of chicken soup, but I told her I had made this over the weekend, and with all the healthy ingredients, I'm sure it was just as beneficial as the Jewish penicillin. Because I no longer have a blender or a food processor (are you listening, Santa?), I used the hand mixer with nice results...not too pureed, not too chunky. I may not have had enough squash, but I think I'd cut the (vegetable) broth back by a can as I had to really boil some fluid out of it to get it to a consistency I liked. I love butternut squash soups and purees, and I will make this again for the holistic value. And just because it tastes really, really good.

This was a hit at our Thanksgiving dinner this year and it disappeared fast! It is a sweet soup, just to forewarn anyone who may not prefer sweet. I love the tanginess of the ginger. I think next tme I may use some of the other suggestions and add an extra pear or granny smith apple and some nutmeg and perhaps cinnamon. It lends itself to experimentation as it is a tad bland. I found myself adding extra salt. I would suggest serving with a dollup of creme fraiche or sour cream. I also recommend the Butternut Squash Soup with Cider Cream. Yum!

This is a great dish except a little bland. Other reviewers said to add ginger and garlic to help, I did that and then you get an overwhelming ginger flavor. However, I suggest adding about three teaspoons of almond extract, some cinnamon, and nutmeg. Also try adding extra pear. I did that and it was a hit at my get together!

I've made the Butternut Squash with Cider Cream recipe on this site many times and wanted to try something new for my guests. This is a fine tasting butternut squash soup, but nothing special. I did puree the whole batch, increased the amount of garlic and ginger, and had perfectly ripe bosc pears. Make the Butternut Squash Soup with Cider Cream - it's much better.

The first time I made this recipe I wasn't paying attention, and rather than keep half the vegetables in chunks, I pureed everything together (and pushed it through as sieve, as the recipe requires). The next time I made it (mostly) according to the recipe as a chowder, leaving half the vegetables in chunks, and I must say that my family and I much prefer it the first way as a puree rather than as a chowder.
In addition, I agree with a previous reviewer that the ginger needs to be tripled (I used a heaping tablespoon) and the garlic increased a bit to give it the "pop" it needs. Without the added ginger, the soup comes out a bit bland.
I'm considering experimenting with a little cardamom or cinnamon next time I make it.

This is a good start to a great soup. I've made this soup a few times. The first time I made it, I followed the recipie and it was good, but not great. What I've done since is to puree all the vegies & fruit and to about triple the ginger, garlic and onions. This creates a lovely, smooth, and flavorful soup.

This was a big hit as the first course of a vegetarian holiday meal. I used 2 to 3 times the amount of ginger and also was generous with the lemon and orange juices. I pureed all the soup except for the pear chunks added at the end.

Everyone at my Thanksgiving table agree that this soup was almost great, but just lacking a little something. As many reviewers suggested, I actually made this recipe the night before Thanksgiving to give the flavors time to marry. Nonetheless, everyone still felt that it needed a little more oomph. If I was going to make this soup again, I think I would increase the garlic a bit and double or triple the amount of ginger. But to be honest, this soup required so much chopping that unless I have a sous chef to help, I'm probably not going to bother to make this again.

I made this for a dinner party and everyone loved it!
I pureed about 3/4 of the soup and found that it made for a wonderful texture, I had no problems with grittiness.
While it is a bit labor intensive for a soup, I think it was well worth the effort. My mother has insited on adding it to our Thanksgiving menu.

Excellent! I roasted the squash instead and pureed it with half of the cooked soup, then returned the pureed portion to the pot for rewarming. So the actual cooking time (with the stock and potatoes)was reduced to about 15 minutes. The squash can roast as soon as you begin chopping the ingredients and it should be close to ready when its needed. I also didn't add the cream and it was absolutley wonderful!!

With 5 cups of stock, the chowder was a little thinner than I like, so next time I'll use just 3. I also added some balsamic vinegar and Louisiana hot sauce for a bit more kick, which became amazing after letting the flavors sit for a day.